Couple deny 5 kids education ; Social Welfare intervenes
The man who locked up his five children at Pig Farm in Accra for three years without giving them access to education has been ordered to enrol them in a school within 12 days.
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The Department of Social Welfare, which gave the order yesterday after the matter had been referred to it by the police, said the action of the man, Abdul Wakilu, infringed on the rights of his children.
The children, who had been isolated from their community and denied access to education, were rescued by the police last Wednesday.
Wakilu and his wife, Rahmatu Musah, cited financial constraints for their inability to enrol their children in any of the private or public schools in the community.
Wakilu, who explained that he wanted to complete building his house at Budumburam in the Central Region, was accosted by the Kotobabi District Police last Wednesday.
However, they explained that Wakilu was only under protective detention.
The man is expected to report to the Department of Social Welfare with admission forms for all the five children, indicating the schools they will attend.
Wakilu, 40, and his 36-year-old wife have eight children. The oldest, identified as Samira, 19, has been married off and lives at Agbogba in Accra with her husband and their child, while two others, aged 16 and 14, live with a relation in the Volta Region.
The five children who were rescued include two girls and three boys aged between two and 11.
Following a tip-off, the police found the children locked up in a chamber and hall, with toilet and bath facilities, in a compound house at Pig Farm Ebony.
Neighbours worried
Though no sign of assault was found on the children, neighbours said apart from the children not having been in school for the past three years, they were also not allowed to play with their peers or interact with others in the community.
A co-tenant said Wakilu was not on talking terms with the other tenants “and he has ordered his wife and his children not to speak with anyone. He is a strange man”.
During interrogation, the children told investigators at the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Nima Divisional Police Command that they had always expressed interest in joining their peers in school but their father kept postponing the date he intended to seek admission for them.
Nima Police
The Nima Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Nuhu Jango, said Wakilu, who accused his wife of conspiring with the police and threatened to beat her, was referred to the Department of Social Welfare for counselling and, if possible, rehabilitation.
“We are hoping he obeys the directive of the department because the children’s future is at stake. It is an offence to deny children their basic rights. They have the right to go to school and achieve their dreams,” he said.
Mr Jango said although the Department of Social Welfare had taken up the case, the police would follow up to ensure that Wakilu followed the directive in the interest of the children.
writer’s email: emelia.ennin@graphic.com.gh